North West Minister welcomes new tobacco law

North West Minister Beverley Hughes has welcomed a new law making it illegal for retailers to sell tobacco products to under 18s.
The law, which came into effect on October 1st, aims to discourage young people from taking up smoking.

"Here in the North West we have some of the highest smoking rates in the country, and, as a consequence, high levels of serious smoking related illnesses. We know prevention is better than cure, so anything that will reduce the number of young people who start smoking in the first place is very welcome.

"Raising the legal age at which tobacco can be bought from 16 to 18 will help prevent young people getting addicted, and help retailers by bringing age restrictions for tobacco into line with those for alcohol and other substances," said the Minister.

Over 20% of 14 to 17-year-olds in the North West claim to be smokers, according to a report by Trading Standards.

Young anti-smoking campaigners have welcomed the new law, with Charly Southern (17), who is involved in the Roy Castle Lung Foundation's anti-tobacco youth campaign, saying: "If it's harder for young people to get hold of cigarettes, then it reinforces how bad they are."

Research released by YouGov revealed that 67% of adults in the North West believe it makes sense to raise the minimum age for the sale of tobacco to 18 in line with alcohol.This backs up evidence from Ireland that shows the same law change there played a key role in reducing the prevalence of teenage smoking.

Andrea Crossfield, the North West's tobacco Tobacco Control lead, said: "The latest figures show a startling number of young people are smokers. This law change is vital in our battle to prevent teenagers from taking up this addictive habit. The younger a smoker starts the more likely they are to die prematurely as a result of their addiction. Someone who starts smoking at 15 is three times as likely to die from cancer due to smoking as someone who starts in their mid-20s."

Tony Allen, of the Trading Standards' Under Age Sales Strategy Group in the North West, said: "Raising the age limit from 16 to 18 will help reduce levels of sales of cigarettes to young people. For the last few years, Trading Standards Officers have shown that by clamping down on under-age sales, significant reductions in under-age drinking can be achieved. Now the fight is on to tackle under-age smoking."